'06 Cayman S, Manual 6-speed - Changing transmission oil with a drilled hole

Got my car earlier this year and can't find record of the transmission oil change (supposed to be done at 12 years: 2018). So, need to get it done. Sounds like it's an easy job anyway , but fancy making future service easier too. Who's drilled a hole to access the drain plug? If you have, I'd appreciate pictures so I can avoid flying blind—would like to do this without taking the plate off.

I've done the transmission fluid twice. The first time I removed the plate. The second time I just drilled a drain hole with the plate in the car. This was simple and made the whole job much easier: I wish I'd just done it this way the first time. Post #27 in the thread below has the location I believe I used: 1/2" to the left (US driver's side) of the small drain hole. I'm pretty sure this was correct for me on my 987.2 with the 6-speed but you should probably verify. I used a 2-1/2" hole saw and then plugged the hole afterwards with a plastic plug from Amazon . Gear oil change.... I changed my '07 2.7 5 speed gear oil over the weekend. Car has 54k miles. Used Mobil Delvac Synthetic Gear Oil 75w90 from Lufteknic. I had a slight crunch from 1st to 2nd that I thought would go away. Crunch is a strong word and it really isn't that bad and can be eliminated with slightly... www.planet-9.com Amazon.com: 2 1/2" 2.5 inch Flush Mount Black Plastic Body and Sheet Metal Hole Plug Qty 5: Home Improvement Amazon.com: 2 1/2" 2.5 inch Flush Mount Black Plastic Body and Sheet Metal Hole Plug Qty 5: Home Improvement www.amazon.com

Don't hack up your car, do it right and remove what needs to be removed.

Lol. Tell you what, try it both ways like I did, see what works better for you. That plate is literally just an aluminum gravel shield: it's not structural at all. Drilling an access hole in it and sealing it afterwards doesn't do any harm and makes the job easy. The next guy won't think you "hacked up the car", he'll thank you.

Thanks gubi! Seems like the 6-speed 987.1 transmission is of the same "species" (G87) as the 987.2 , but slightly different model... can't see perfectly from the diagrams: does your oil plug face the floor, or to the side? Hopefully someone can chip in with confirmation before I go hacking up my car. If it keeps me up at night I can get a replacement bracket for £50.

On my 2010 the oil drain plug was straight down. But you should verify everything is the same on the 987.1

Yes, it is on the bottom of the gearcase. IDK if it is in the exact same position as the 987.1 . Its been a few years since I refilled mine, and I decided not to drill the hole. If the shield is in-place, does it restrict access to the fill- plug ? I'm sure it is mentioned frequently, but I'll remind everyone to test loosen the fill plug before draining. Last thing you'll want to experience is draining the lube and then discovering you can't fill it.

I drilled the plate on my 987.2 . It seems that they used to come from the factory that way. Makes the change any easy job.

I did my 08 yesterday. Only takes a few minutes to remove the plate. I can do that every few years. If I drove 40,000 miles a year Id drill the hole in a heartbeat.

I had considered drilling the hole on my 987.2 , 6-speed, but ultimately I decided not to because... 1) It's pretty quick and easy to remove the plate, and I only change the transmission fluid every 3-4 years or so. 2) Removing the plate gives me an opportunity to get eyes on that area of the car, make sure there are no potential problems lurking, and give the area a good cleaning (quite a few stones and bits of debris get caught above that panel). 3) It appears that Porsche used to provide a hole in that panel, and then stopped in later years. Although the engineer in me has a hard time believing that drilling a 2-inch hole in the middle of the panel would compromise its structural integrity in any significant way, I have seen posts from some fairly authoritative sources that caution against drilling the hole. For me, it wasn't worth taking the risk. See #1 and #2, above. -Joe

I didn’t drill the hole, is pretty messy if you don’t remove the plate left over fluid will sit in that lower pocket of the tray and making filling harder, so once every 3-4 yrs for me, I’m ok removing the plate. But you can’t go wrong either way is just up to you.

For the record, I drove the car this morning. First cold morning since I did the oil change and it is much improved. Before if it was cold, first and second gear were very tight.